Skip to main content Skip to course navigation

Why the average can mislead

Look at the sample center’s results for “Drop-off and pickup work well for my family”:

Strongly agreeAgreeNeutralDisagreeStrongly disagreeAverage
1242493.2

The average, 3.2, suggests families feel neutral about pickup. The mode, Strongly agree, suggests they are satisfied. Neither is true. 52% of families agree and 42% disagree, and very few are in the middle. The families are split.